Die Rückkehr des King Kong

Before Freddy VS Jason, before Aliens VS Predator, even before the clash of the titans that is Puppet Master VS Demonic Toys (but after Frankenstein Meets The Wolf Man, obviously), there was King Kong VS Godzilla.

Before I proceed with this review, I should point out that the version I have seen is the American one, which is dubbed and had several scenes added featuring a United Nations news broadcast. The original Japanese release was apparently much more satirical in tone, whereas the American version removes all the comedy. It is still enjoyable as a giant monster movie, though.

This movie originally began life as a stop-motion feature entitled KIng Kong VS Frankenstein, and was conceived by Willis O'Brien as a sequel to the 1933 Kong, gradually turning into a Godzilla movie after Toho studios got involved. Although there are some brief stop-motion sequences, it is by and large a typical kaiju ega movie (in other words, it's men in rubber suits). While fans of O'Brien's still-impressive stop-motion work on the original King Kong may be irked by the idea of the big ape being played by a Japanese guy in a suit, I personally think Kong looks pretty cool (it's certainly more impressive than the suit Toho used for their second Kong film, King Kong Escapes).

There are some inconsistencies, most notably the fact that King Kong and Godzilla were radically different sizes in their respective films, but Toho got around this by the simple expedient of ignoring it. We've got two great big monsters beating each other up, so who cares about details? Also, in the original King Kong, the big ape had no special powers beyond being very strong, whereas Godzilla has radioactive breath; Toho addressed this seeming imbalance by having Kong derive strength from electricity, whereas Godzilla is weakened by touching power lines. One point that bugs me a little is the fact that, although this is the third Godzilla film, and the second to feature King Kong, there seems to be no connection to the previous movies. When the two monsters appear, the human characters act as though they have no prior knowledge of them, which seems odd when you take into account Godzilla had twice previously tried to destroy Tokyo, and King Kong did make kind of a mess of New York. King Kong VS Frankenstein was intended as a sequel to the original, but this idea was obviously dropped from the movie it became.

The climactic fight between the two monsters is great fun, sort of a giant sized version of a WWE match, only with more believable physiques and personalities. Kong shoving a tree down Godzilla's throat and the big green guy responding by walloping Kong with his tail are highly entertaining moments; obviously not as spectacular as the scenes of Kong fighting the dinosaurs in either the 1933 original or Peter Jackson's remake, but that's not the point. King Kong VS Godzilla is an enjoyable example of this type of movie; if you're new to the kaiju ega genre, it's an excellent starting point. It's just a shame King Kong VS Frankenstein never got made. Maybe if we all ask Peter Jackson nicely....

King Kong vs Godzilla is a product of it's time and really shows it's age, but it packs a lot of cheesy entertainment value that makes it worth your while.

Storyline:

The greedy owner of a pharmaceutical company sends a crew of bumbling fools to a mysterious island in search of the giant gorilla, King Kong. After fighting with a giant octopus and getting drunk on berry juice, Kong gets captured by the crew and taken to Japan to be used as a mascot for the company. Meanwhile, Godzilla has broken out of an iceberg and begun another rampage. Kong breaks loose and heads over to the mountains to square off with Godzilla. After getting hit by Godzilla's fire breath, Kong just walks away scratching his head. After realizing that Kong might be the only one who can defeat Godzilla, the military decides to give Kong an airlift using giant balloons tied to helicopters. The military drops Kong off at Godzilla's location on Mount Fuji, and the two duke it out in the most goofy and epic battle in cinematic history.

With a silly plot, unconvincing effects, and corny dialogue, it's no secret that this is an outdated film. However, it makes for a highly entertaining viewing experience and is guaranteed to curb your appetite for some goofy fun. Pitting two icons like Godzilla and King Kong against each other is a true work of genius, and Toho deserves a round of applause for making it happen so many years ago. Sure, you can say that this movie is obsolete since it's been remade, but if you ask me, all the big budget modern day CGI in the world can't top the appeal of a classic Japanese monster movie. In fact, I'd go as far as to say that this is one of the prime examples of the cheesy fun that can be found in a Japanese monster movie.

This film has a very fast pace, and you won't be left bored with the human storyline. The human characters are quite funny, and the dub has a bunch of corny dialogue that's bound to make you laugh due to the sheer amount of corniness. This movie also doesn't skimp on scenes featuring the two titular monsters. There's a bunch of stand out funny moments that make the film all the more memorable. Moments like Kong shoving a tree down Godzilla's throat, Godzilla clapping like a happy little kid after lighting Kong on fire, and Kong fighting an octopus that looks like it's covered in saran wrap all add to the entertainment value. On top of that, Godzilla has a really cool lizard-like design, and Kong has a memorably crappy design that looks like a part store gorilla costume that was run over by a car several times before filming. Oh, and there's also the fact that Kong gets superpowers from electricity due to this movie originally starting out as a Frankenstein movie (Feel free to look that up, it's an interesting read).

This is one of my guilty pleasures. It's full of mindless fun, and it's got a lot of rewatch value. It's a must watch for any movie buff just due to the sheer awesomeness of it's concept. I give it a 7/10, and that's probably more than what it truly deserves, but the amount of goofy entertainment packed into this gem of monster cinema makes it more than worth your time. I guarantee that it'll get a few laughs out of you, and who doesn't love a good laugh?

Most of us saw the English language version of KING KONG VS. GODZILLA, which discarded alot of fun bits found only in the original Japanese language version of this near classic. In it's original Japanese, this is a fun movie about these rather boob-ish guys who work for a Tokyo advertising firm going to a desolate island. They encounter music loving natives who worship none other than King Kong. At the same time, Godzilla re-appears on the scene, threatening to destroy Tokyo. The film is made with wild energy, and goes with wild logic (how can you not love the scene where King Kong is knocked out with bongo music?!) Proof that director Inoshira Honda loved his audience and wanted to make them happy.

Director Ishiro Honda, who first brought The Big G to the screen in the brilliant 1954 film GOJIRA (re-edited in the US as Godzilla King of the Monsters) decided to scrap the heavy messages and themes of the original film when he made King Kong vs. Godzilla, however he does appeared to have had a great deal of fun making this goofy rubber monster classic. Godzilla breaks out of an iceberg he was imprisoned in and heads to knock down Tokyo. Meanwhile, a pharmaceutical company discovers King Kong on an island full of Japanese actors in blackface playing the natives (!) and the flamboyant CEO decides to bring Kong to Japan as a publicity stunt. The government decides to pit the two titans against each other on the top of Mount Fuji in the climatic scene of the movie. Much of this film is film is intentionally goofy, particularly the island scenes. The screenwriters decided that electricity makes King Kong stronger, but it weakens Godzilla (to make sure it would be a fair fight). Honda also put in several homages (parodies) to the original 1933 King Kong. The final battle on Mount Fuji is similar to watching WWF wrestling, except better, because they're wearing monster suits. If you want a film with epic romance and sweeping drama, you should watch Gone With the Wind, but if you're in the mood for campy monsteriffic fun like only the Japanese can do, watch this.

King Kong vs. Godzilla (1962) was the meeting of the silver screen monsters. Who would win the championship title of "KIng of the World"? Will Godzilla squash King Kong or will he job to the old master? Can King Kong win fair and square or will he throw in the towel? Godzilla is back from it's last film. The people of earth are shaking in fear because no matter what they do to it, the mean mutated radioactive breathing lizard keeps coming back for more (and flattening Tokyo). Some unlucky people have landed on Skull Island and have awoken the slumbering King Kong. King Kong was at peace with himself (and the painted up natives) until he felt the presence of Godzilla and wants to squash the lizard. A hopped up Godzilla awaits the challenge and the two titans duke it out, the world awaits word on who's will be the winner.

I totally marked out for the movie when I was a kid. I was disappointed when I saw King Kong, he looked so paper mache and nothing like the original. The fights the two had looked like a pro wrestling match. They even put in the posing, sneak attacks, cheating, use of foreign objects and what not. I wished they would release a digitally remastered version of this film in the original language. Now that would be cool!!

Highly recommended.